The ancient Romans used to say “Semel in anno licet insanire” which, freely translated, means “Everyone is allowed to do crazy things once a year”. That only time is, in my case, the Carnival, whose celebration continues today. In fact, even this (so-called) solemn columnist has decided to take the carnival party seriously and venture to launch a Moon’s Satellite a little “out of orbit”.
In the same way that G.K. Chesterton censored “the mysterious silence of poetry on the subject of cheese”, I too deplore the undeserved contempt of literature, art and music for the theme of “yawning”, regardless of the fact that that English writer contradicted himself by defining yawning as “a silent scream”. For a coffee, I would jokingly add.
To begin with, let’s ask ourselves why we yawn. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, a person yawns at least eight times a day, for different reasons.
A common cause is late sleep, as seen in transportation in the morning, even with the new fares. My grandmother suggested sleeping no more than seven hours (“seven hours a body, eight hours a pig”), but no less.
I have noticed that some yawn with hunger at lunchtime. Maybe that’s why my grandmother – always her! – advised not to eat on an empty stomach.
Another cause is fatigue or boredom due to long and incoherent speeches; there are many examples in Bolivia. Early morning students in a university class break all yawn records, even that of parishioners lulled by Sunday homilies. And you, have you already yawned reading this article?
Yawning is also by imitation: it is enough to start yawning for a chorus of yawns to be generated. Psychologists say that this contagion is a sign of empathy. What a consolation for yawns-addicts!
Finally, yawning is thought to be a kind of alert when the brain relaxes due to a lack of oxygen, such as when driving a car while struggling with sleep. Although, in those cases, it is better to stop the car.
Psychology professor Andrew Gallup has studied the relationship between yawning and body and brain temperature. When we open our mouth to yawn, our jaws stretch to the lowest position, increasing blood flow to the area which is then cooled by the rapid influx of air. Prof. Gallup found that if participants were in a warm environment, the rate of yawning increased when exposed to images of yowns. But when participants were in a cooler environment, or had cold ice packs placed on their foreheads, the rate of yawning was noticeably lower. This explains why there are fewer yawns in La Paz than in Santa Cruz.
There is also a social issue: it is not considered polite to yawn and do it without covering your mouth, showing those present the menu of the day and your tonsils. That’s why it’s advisable to listen to a boring lecture with a mask to cover yawns. In any case, it is important when and where you yawn: in fact, yawning “in the act” is not the same as yawning “immediately”.
Physiologically, yawning is a “reflex” bodily response not only of humans but also of animals: cats are famous for yawning at the top of their lungs, without being labeled as rude.
Personally, I declare myself, at the same time, addicted to yawning and victim of its charm. Addicted, because I sleep little, and victim, because I suffer from my wife’s reproaches every time I noisily try to oxygenate my brain, attentive to Prof. Gallup.
In short, no one should be embarrassed in front of a yawn, which is nothing more than a relaxing carnival of the body.